Category: eggs

Probable cause

On By CarynIn chickens, Coop, eggs

We have continued to get eggs, way past when the hens stopped laying last year. I think I know why. We have kept the people door open to let the breeze through the coop because it was so blazing hot this summer. The door leads out into the chicken run, which is completely encased in welded wire, which makes it fairly secure against large predators. When we let the dogs out in the morning, we turn on the back porch light, which happens to shine into the runs. This gives the hens enough light to feel comfortable getting off the roost, so they are up and about earlier than last year. Extra light also encourages egg laying. Ah. They finished their molt, had enough light, and a couple have gone back into laying mode. I could close up the door, but they really do like coming out as soon as they can, and they are safe in their enclosure from twilight predators. As it gets colder, I will close the people door to keep in the heat and keep out drafts, but I may keep the chicken door open.

Gathered eggs, open coop door

Eggs?!?

On By CarynIn chickens, eggs

I was out doing morning chicken chores, and I found two eggs. What? I admit that I have not been vigilant in checking the nest boxes since the hens stopped laying two months ago because last year their last egg was mid-September. Last year they did not start laying again until February. They do appear to have finished their fall molt, but I haven’t seen any of them do the squat (that says they are ready for a rooster).

Egg in a nest box
Two eggs, after two months of no eggs

I did do a float test, and both eggs sunk to the bottom of the container of water and laid flat, which means they are fresh eggs. So they didn’t stay undiscovered for long.

Chicken sardines

On By CarynIn chickens, eggs

Seriously, there are five other nests, girls. I know this is typical hen behavior, and I have seen two of my hens trying to lay in the same nest box before, but three? Chaos. After the picture they all were lifted out to get some air and treats. Later, my eldest found three eggs in the box, so they managed to all eventually lay there.

Three hens in one nest box

What makes it pink?

On By CarynIn eggs

Salmon Faverolle eggs are described as “pink”. What makes them pink? One of our pink eggs had some straw stuck to the shell, and when I picked away the stalks, there was brown underneath. Which indicates that the pink color comes from a white layer that overlays the brown.

Pink egg (top) showing brown beneath the white

The inside of these eggs shells are white. The brown color is deposited in the oviduct near the end of the egg’s journey. So it looks like in Faverolles, the bloom (which is a protective coating deposited before the egg is laid) is more opaque, thus looks white, than other brown eggs. As an interesting aside, blue eggs are the result of a pigment spread throughout the shell, so the inside of a blue egg shell is blue. A green egg has the blue pigment over laid with a brown coating. Ah the interesting egg!

Perfect eggs

On By CarynIn eggs
Four beautiful eggs from my hens

The shells are smooth and clean and these four eggs are a happy sight. I rather like the variation in shades, without having different breeds. My hens are still social and friendly (except for Taco), as Faverolles should be. They do raise quite the ruckus when they think I’m not moving fast enough to the mealworms, which is anytime I head to the coop.